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A Couple of Bills are Finalists for the PFRA's HOVG


KRC

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The PFRA will be announcing the Hall of Very Good finalists for the Class of 2011 on Monday and a couple of Bills are on the list. Here is the press release that will be going out:

 

PFRA ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR THE HALL OF VERY GOOD

 

WARMINSTER, Pennsylvania (June 13, 2010) – The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) announced today the finalists for the Hall of Very Good Class of 2011. The Finalists are (in alphabetical order):

 

Ken Anderson

Position: Quarterback

Teams: Cincinnati Bengals 1971-86

 

Bill Bergey

Position: Linebacker

Teams: Cincinnati Bengals 1969-1973, Philadelphia Eagles 1974-1980

 

Cliff Branch

Position: Wide Receiver

Teams: Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders 1972-1985

 

Ray Bray

Position: Guard

Teams: Chicago Bears 1939-42 and 1946-51, Green Bay Packers 1952

 

Charley Brock

Position: Center-Halfback-Fullback

Teams: Green Bay Packers 1939-47

 

John Brodie

Position: Quarterback

Teams: San Francisco 49ers 1957-73

 

Bobby Dillon

Position: Defensive Back

Teams: Green Bay Packers 1952-1959

 

Ken Gray

Position: Guard

Teams: 1958-1969 St. Louis/Chicago Cardinals, 1970 Houston Oilers

 

Cliff Harris

Positions: Free Safety

Teams: Dallas Cowboys 1970-1979

 

Harold Jackson

Position: Wide Receiver

Teams: Los Angeles Rams 1968, Philadelphia Eagles 1969-1972, Los Angeles Rams 1973-1977, New England Patriots 1978-1981, Minnesota Vikings 1982, Seattle Seahawks 1983

 

George Kunz

Position: Tackle

Teams: 1969-1974 Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Colts 1975-1978, 1980

 

Paul Lowe

Position: Halfback

Teams: Los Angeles Chargers 1960, San Diego Chargers 1961-1968, Kansas City Chiefs 1968-1969

 

Harvey Martin

Positions: Defensive End

Teams: Dallas Cowboys 1973-83

 

Eddie Meador

Position: Defensive Back

Teams: Los Angeles Rams 1959-70

 

Ted Nesser

Position: Tackle-Center-Head Coach

Teams: Columbus Panhandles 1920-21

 

Andy Russell

Positions: Linebacker

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers 1963-76

 

Lou Saban

Position: Head Coach

Teams: Boston Patriots 1960-1961, Buffalo Bills 1962-1965, Denver Broncos 1967-1971, Buffalo Bills 1972-1976

 

Tom Sestak

Position: Defensive Tackle

Teams: Buffalo Bills 1962-1968

 

Jerry Smith

Position: Tight End

Teams: Washington Redskins 1965-1977

 

Buddy Young

Position: Halfback-Fullback-Defensive Back

Teams: New York Yankees 1947-49, New York Yanks 1950-51, Dallas Texans 1952, Baltimore Colts 1953-55

 

 

The Class of 2011 will be announced by the end of the year.

 

Begun in 2003, the Hall of Very Good seeks to honor outstanding players and coaches who are not in the Hall of Fame and are not likely to ever make it. The PFRA does not promote any of the electees for the Hall of Fame nor does it view the Hall of Very Good as a springboard for the Hall of Fame. We simply recognize that there are many players and coaches who had great careers who deserve to be recognized.

 

The Professional Football Researchers Association was founded in 1979 as a 501©(3) educational organization dedicated to research into and the preservation of the history of pro football. The membership includes many of the foremost football historians and authors. The PFRA publishes a magazine, The Coffin Corner, six times each year. More information is available at www.profootballresearchers.org.

 

Previous Hall of Very Good enshrines are:

Class of 2010

Robert Brazile, 1975-84 – LB

Ed Budde, 1963-76 – G

Don Coryell, 1972-86 – Head Coach

Ox Emerson, 1931-38 – G, C, LB

Chuck Foreman, 1973-80 – RB

Bob Gain, 1952, 1954-64 – T, MG, E

Riley Matheson, 1939-48 – G, LB

Jimmy Patton, 1955-66 – DB

Drew Pearson, 1973-83 – WR

Ken Riley, 1969-83 – CB

 

Class of 2009

Bruno Banducci, 1944-54 – G

Harold Carmichael, 1971-84 – WR

Blanton Collier, Browns assistant coach 1946-53 and 1962 and head coach 1963-70

Boyd Dowler, 1959-69, 71 – WR

Claude Humphrey, 1968-74, 1976-81 – DE

Ken Kavanaugh, 1940-41, 1945-50 – E

Verne Lewellen, 1924-32 – HB

Walt Sweeney, 1963-75 – G

Class of 2008

Dick Barwegen, 1947-54 – G

Randy Gradishar, 1974-83 – LB

Bob Hoernschmeyer, 1946-55 – HB

Cecil Isbell, 1938-42 – TB

Buddy Parker, 1951-64 – Coach

Spec Sanders, 1946-50 – TB

Jim Ray Smith, 1956-64 – G

Billy Wilson, 1951-60 - WR

 

Class of 2007:

Frankie Albert, 1946-1952 - QB

Roger Brown, 1960-1969 - DT

Timmy Brown, 1959-1968 - RB

Marshall Goldberg, 1939-1948 - B

Jim Lee Howell, 1937-1947, 1954-1960 - E

Glenn Presnell, 1931-1936 - B

Dick Schafrath, 1959-1971 - T

Jake Scott, 1970-1978 - DB

Ed Sprinkle, 1944-1955 - DE

Tank Younger, 1949-1958 - HB-FB

 

Class of 2006:

Charley Conerly, 1948-1961 - QB

John Hadl, 1962-1977 - QB

Chuck Howley, 1958-1973 - LB

Alex Karras, 1958-1970 - DT

Eugene Lipscomb, 1953-1962 - DT

Kyle Rote, 1951-1961 - E-HB

Dick Stanfel, 1952-1958 - G

Otis Taylor, 1965-1975 - WR

Fuzzy Thurston, 1958-1967 - G

Deacon Dan Towler, 1950-1955 - FB

 

Class of 2005:

Maxie Baughan, 1960-1974 - LB

Jim Benton, 1938-1947 - E

Lavie Dilweg, 1926-1934 - E

Pat Harder, 1946-1953 - FB

Floyd Little*, 1967-1975 - RB

Tommy Nobis, 1966-1976 - LB

Pete Retzlaff, 1956-1966 - HB-E

Tobin Rote, 1950-1966 - QB

Lou Rymkus, 1943, 1946-1951 - T

Del Shofner, 1957-1967 - E

 

Class of 2004:

Gene Brito, 1951-1960 - DE

John Brodie, 1957-1973 - QB

Jack Butler, 1951-1959 - DB

Chris Hanburger*, 1965-1978 - LB

Bob Hayes*, 1965-1975 - SE-WR

Billy Howton, 1952-1963 - E

Jim Marshall, 1960-1979 - DE

Al Nesser, 1920-1928, 1931 - G

Dave Robinson, 1963-1974 - LB

Duke Slater, 1922-1931 - T

 

Class of 2003:

Gino Cappelletti, 1960-1970 - E-K

Carl Eller*, 1964-1979 - DE

Pat Fischer, 1961-1977 - DB

Benny Friedman*, 1927-1934 - TB

Gene Hickerson*, 1958-1973 - G

Jerry Kramer, 1958-1968 - G

Johnny Robinson, 1960-1971 - DB

Mac Speedie, 1946-1952 - E

Mick Tingelhoff, 1962-1978 - C

Al Wistert, 1943-1951 - T

 

*Voted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame after induction into the Hall of Very Good.

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Great stuff. I like the idea of this list.

 

On a related note, one member of that list, Bill Bergey (who was a great LB in my book) grew up in South Dayton, New York… just south of Gowanda… not much more than an hour from Buffalo.

 

He was a great player for the Bengals and the Eagles.

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Great stuff. I like the idea of this list.

 

On a related note, one member of that list, Bill Bergey (who was a great LB in my book) grew up in South Dayton, New York… just south of Gowanda… not much more than an hour from Buffalo.

 

He was a great player for the Bengals and the Eagles.

Pine Valley HS, pride of Chautauqua County.

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If John Brodie was inducted in 2004, why is he a finalist again?

 

Nice catch.

 

If someone gets into the HOF are they removed from the VG Hall?

 

Nope. We just make a notation that they were subsequently inducted into the HOF.

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If John Brodie was inducted in 2004, why is he a finalist again?

 

Brodie will be replaced with:

 

Lydell Mitchell

Position: Running Back

Teams: Baltimore Colts 1972-77, San Diego Chargers 1978-79, Los Angeles Rams 1980

 

It's a shame Tom Sestak is considered someone who'll never make the HOF. He really was that good.

 

You are not alone in your opinion.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

We have had a lot of media attention since our press release last week. I have been doing a bunch of interviews over the last two weeks, with more in the works. Pro Football Weekly is doing a story on it, which should come out next week. I was on ESPN Radio in St. Louis on Sunday and ESPN Radio in Wisconsin wants to talk to me sometime next week. A story appeared on FoxSports.com, the Buffalo News, Packer Report and several other outlets. A bunch of HOF selectors have also contacted me.

 

The lockout has definitely helped give more attention to the HOVG.

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Nice list you guys put together Ken.

 

To everyone, what Bills players from the SB era will make into the Hall of VG, but never be in the Hall of Fame?

 

I would guess Tasker.

 

Kent Hull, Darryl Talley, Cornelius Bennett.

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Nice list you guys put together Ken.

 

To everyone, what Bills players from the SB era will make into the Hall of VG, but never be in the Hall of Fame?

 

I would guess Tasker.

 

I would guess Hull, Tasker, Bennett, Talley, and Ballard are possibilities.

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We have had a lot of media attention since our press release last week. I have been doing a bunch of interviews over the last two weeks, with more in the works. Pro Football Weekly is doing a story on it, which should come out next week. I was on ESPN Radio in St. Louis on Sunday and ESPN Radio in Wisconsin wants to talk to me sometime next week. A story appeared on FoxSports.com, the Buffalo News, Packer Report and several other outlets. A bunch of HOF selectors have also contacted me.

 

The lockout has definitely helped give more attention to the HOVG.

 

that's awesome there.

 

to your other post, would Odoms, Wolford, or Metzalaars get any consideration?

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to your other post, would Odoms, Wolford, or Metzalaars get any consideration?

 

Possibly. I am not sure if they would make the cut, however. Anyone can be nominated, but it would be difficult to get past the first cut.

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